Sweet Potatoes

Jan 27, 2015 01:31AM
● By Family Features

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If you’re looking for a little variety to spice up your life, cooking with a versatile veggie such as the sweet potato may give your menu the satisfying kick you crave, along with a healthy dose of the nutrients your body needs.

Unlike many vegetables with a peak season that comes and goes, sweet potatoes can be found at your local grocery store year round with a consistent quality and freshness. Because they are available fresh, canned or frozen, sweet potatoes offer the ultimate flexibility for healthy and delicious menu options at any meal.

With virtually no fat and low in sodium, sweet potatoes, or yams, fit perfectly into a low-carb lifestyle, with major nutritional bonuses to boot. In addition to being a source of vitamin B-6, iron, potassium and fiber, the sweet potato provides twice the recommended daily allowance of vitamin A and more than one-third of the requirements for vitamin C.

Tips for perfect sweet potatoes
These prize-winning recipes show you how easy it is to create unique dishes with versatile, nutritious sweet potatoes. Before you get started, remember these tips from the Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission:

Fresh sweet potatoes can be stored for up to a month at 55°F to 65°F, but should not be refrigerated until after they are cooked.

Always use a stainless steel knife when cutting a sweet potato; using a carbon blade will cause the yam to darken.

One 15-ounce can of sweet potatoes equals one cup of fresh sweet potatoes.

Canned sweet potatoes are precooked, so add them at the end of a recipe.

Press potato into bottom and up sides of prepared pie dish. Brush with melted butter and cover with aluminum foil. Bake until edges of crust are golden brown, 20–25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on wire rack. Reduce oven to 350°F.